Zutara Week Drabbles
by Rad
Summary: Drabbles/entries written for Zutara Week on deviantArt. This will be updated as I write up the different entries. So far I'm behind... I only started last year, 2010. Zutara is copyright Bryke, I just like to play with them.
1. 2008:  1:  Denim

Zutara Week 2008 - #1 Denim

"_Why_ are we going on a shopping trip again?" Toph whined.

"Because it's fun!" Suki chimed.

"We're girls and that's what we do!" Katara exclaimed.

"Besides, Den Im is one of the largest women's clothiers in the world and we're traveling past it," Zuko pointed out nonchalantly.

"You had fun the last time we had a girls' day," Katara reminded the younger girl.

Toph crossed her arms and hmphed. "Doesn't mean I want to do it again."

"You know you want to," Katara poked the shorter girl.

Toph merely stuck out her tongue.

Sokka and Suki walked arm and arm and Zuko didn't want to know what the dreamy look on Sokka's face meant. He was having his own troubles keeping his mind away from a certain Waterbender trying on different clothes in the town. _'Mai trying on clothes. Fireblazes,_ Ty Lee_ trying on clothes. Teaching Aang to _murder_ my own father. Taking down Azula. Azula's terrifying blue lightning… blue Water Tribe eyes… NO!'_ Zuko shook his head.

They entered the city and after a quick meal, the girls were off. "Bring me back something pretty!" Sokka hollered after them. Suki waved.

Toph had never understood the excitement of clothes shopping. Sure, she'd had fun with Katara on their first girls' day: she'd gotten to dump a couple of doofy girls into a river and Katara had said that she did look pretty. But now, with all of the grand city of Den Im at their fingertips and another girl to share the fun with, Katara was going to make sure that the Earthbender had the time of her life. She and Suki pulled the younger girl from store to store, trying on dresses, shirts, and skirts. Of course, both knew to stop before they tried to get Toph to wear shoes, but that didn't have to hinder their fun in trying on different footwear.

Of course, girls' day out wasn't complete without a trip to a desserts store, a nail salon, and a massage spa. The spa came at the end of the trip, to ease the girls' tired bodies and feet. Katara was sure that the receptionist at the spa fully understood that whoever would be treating Toph was under no circumstances to touch Toph's feet. Not ever. With that out of the way, the spa was as relaxing as it was meant to be.

Katara sat on the bench, water up to her shoulders, and sighed in relaxation. Training with their little gang was hard work and she was glad of the minor vacation. Of course, the little shop tucked into a corner that sold Fire Nation-esque clothes had piqued her interest. Her mind had wondered if Zuko would prefer to see her in red and gold or her traditional blue and white. Then she'd yanked her mind back to reality and had breezed on by without saying a word. Neither Toph nor Suki had really noticed the store and Katara certainly didn't want to draw attention to herself. She had, of course; just a little bit. Toph had given her a sideways "what's up?" sort of look but hadn't said anything, of which Katara was grateful.

So far, no one had discovered her little crush and Katara intended to keep it that way.

* * *

><p>So I like to be different... all of the other 'denim' entries had Zutara in (or out of) their jeans... I wiki'd 'denim' and it turns out blue jeans originated in a town called de Nimes. Yes, I'm a dork.<p>

Rad


	2. 2008: 2: Electrifying

Zutara Week 2008 - #2 Electrifying

Zuko ducked as blue flashed by him, barley missing having his chest burned away. Fire Lord Azula cackled. "C'mon Princess Platypus, you've got more of us to worry about!"

As if on cue, Sokka's boomerang whipped over Azula's head.

The Fire Lord's response was to open her mouth wide and spew in his general direction. Zuko scrambled to divert it and dodge around it. Aang brought a wave of water to bear on Azula while Toph tried to trap her in a rocky prison.

"You'll all have to do better than that to defeat me." The air around them crackled as she sent blue bolt after electrifying blue bolt around the courtyard. "You'll never find her. You'll never find your precious Water Tribe peasant and that dirty thing you call offspring. None of you are _worthy_."

"We _will_ succeed," Aang stated.

"No question about it," Sokka supplied.

Zuko created two blades of fire and attacked his sister. He tried to get her to hold still long enough for Toph to get a lock on her and stone her in place. Azula must have somehow noted his strategy, she made sure to keep her feet moving.

"Hold still Platy!"

More cackling and more lightning.

They were all breathing hard when they heard the trumpet several minutes later. Zuko's eyes shot to the palace, where he could see Appa shooting high into the sky and into the clouds. That was the signal; Suki had Katara and their daughter safe. Hopefully his mother as well.

"Retreat!" shouted Sokka.

"That's what you think!" proclaimed Azula.

"It's what we've planned for!" came the Water Tribe warrior's retort.

Zuko pressed against his sister. He hooked his leg around hers and pushed both of them to the ground. Her screaming filled his hears. "Now Aang, now Toph!" The Avatar pulled is water over the two Fire siblings, creating mud. The clean water separated Zuko from his sister while both Toph and Aang parted the two elements. The mud hardened and Toph forced it to thicken, trapping Azula.

Blue lightning zipped from her mouth, aiming for Zuko. Aang pulled up a wall of rock while Toph created a barrier over the Fire Lord's mouth.

"Go, go!" Sokka commanded. The four of them raced to the shore, powered by Aang's wind and Toph's rolling boulder. They climbed into the waiting sub and took off.

"Mission accomplished."

_'Don't count your turtle-duck eggs before they hatch, Sokka. I hope Katara and our daughter are safe and relatively unharmed. Mother too.'_


	3. 2008: 3: Smug

Zutara Week 2008 - #3 Smug

_Smug_. That was the word that Katara found to define Azula. The Fire Nation Princess… no, the Fire Lord was full of herself and haughty. Conceited and 'superior' and self-satisfied. Arrogant and self-righteous. That was Azula in a leechi nutshell.

_Smug_.

Today, like the few days before, the Fire Lord was in Katara's cell trying to get information from her. _'Where is Zuzu, where is your little band of misfits, where is Uncle, how did you find out about the eclipse and the comet?_' Her questions were never ending and Katara was getting sick of hearing them. The first day she had spat at Azula and sworn to never break nor reveal information.

Azula had smugly reminded the Water Tribe woman that her child was many levels above in the palace, being treated by a nurse. The only reason she was still alive was that her bending capabilities were unknown. The Fire Lord's eyes had turned up in malicious mirth and stated that wouldn't it be wonderful if daughter were raised a Fire Princess and destroyed her true parents one day?

Katara's wrists still burned from when she had yanked against her shackles.

It would take more than a few days and taunting to break her. Katara would inwardly shudder when Azula described the horrific ways she would kill her friends and family. Who wouldn't? (Except maybe Azula herself and probably Ozai.) But outwardly she stayed firm and resilient. Zuko and the rest were no doubt surrounding Sokka while he planned their escape. She wouldn't be imprisoned for long.

_"Are you listening to me, Water Tribe peasant? I will – "_

"No, I am not listening to you. They will rescue me. And we will win."

It was Katara's turn to be smug.


	4. 2008: 4: Manipulative

Zutara Week 2008 - #4 Manipulative

"How did we get stuck doing it like this again?" Katara asked, slowly maneuvering their little raft through the boiling water.

Zuko shrugged. "Sokka mentioned that if we really wanted to attempt to take down the Fire Nation, we needed more than two Water Tribe kids, a banished Fire Nation Prince, the flaming Avatar, and the 'World's Greatest Earthbender' to do it. Then everyone rattled off allies to find: Haru, Suki, and whatever Freedom Fighters wanted to join. Those were deemed easy enough to find and recruit, so it was suggested that we tackle releasing Ty Lee and – Mai – from the Boiling Rock first. Toph suggested it would be easier to plan a rescue mission from the most tightly-locked prison the Fire Nation boasts first, while we had less people to organize."

"Huh." A long pause, then "It feels like Toph manipulated the whole arrangement to me."

Another shrug. He didn't mind.

Neither did Katara.

Ok, Zuko minded a little. Here he was, attempting to rescue his former girlfriend, who he'd spoken with since leaving, but he wasn't sure what their stance was. And who was his accomplice? The young woman who he was steadily growing to enjoy…

"Maybe Toph just wanted to spend some time with Sokka before we find Suki." Zuko spoke before his jitters could catch hold of him.

Katara mock-winced. "Poor Toph. It'll be tough on her when she finally has to let go of her crush on him… He and Suki have grown pretty close."

Zuko merely nodded.


End file.
